A New Addition
by Myah
Summary: These are the the chronicles of Zuko's first days with the gang. It starts after the events of 3-13. If you haven't seen it yet, don't worry: no spoilers here... yet.
1. Family

Chapter 1: Family

Zuko sat in his room, calm, body in lotus position, in the one ray of sunlight that made its way in early that morning as the sun rose. He breathed deeply, meditating on the warmth of the sun, its energy, the strength it added to his firebending. As he exhaled slowly, body ready for his training, muscles ready to spring… and Sokka barged into the room.

"Morning, Zuko! Breakfast's ready!"

"Good morning… Sokka, right?" He gathered his energy, wondering what would have happened if he'd let loose with the fire that had sprung to readiness with the sudden invasion- and had a flash of Katara's late evening visit the day before. He sighed.

"Yup, that's me. Resident advisor, warrior and all-round good guy." Silence fell. "Soo… How'd u sleep?"

"Fine, thanks." Silence again. Zuko tried again. "Thanks for the extra blanket."

"You're welcome." Silence. "Okaay, this is awkward."

"Yeah." Admitting that fact didn't help the situation… until Sokka's eyes landed on Zuko's swords. His excitement about them finally had the two talking comfortably, as fellow warriors and swordsmen. Zuko was especially impressed by Sokka's master... impressed, and surprised. However, Sokka didn't seem to remember the one fact that Zuko would have been most interested in: the gift of the white lotus tile that was given to them when they were leaving. Instead, in typical Sokka fashion, he concentrated on the Master's training, and how he excelled using his ingenuity. By the time Sokka left the room for breakfast, the first strains of bonds of mutual respect had developed between the two.

After a somewhat strained breakfast, Zuko decided that it was time that he and the Avatar started their training- with some breathing exercises. He insisted that he still had to spend some time on them- even after he was told that he'd done them with Jeong Jeong. With the others as spectators, he took the Avatar through them and saw that he was ready to move on. Using a strip of paper, he asked him to instead control the fire. He actually listened this time, and didn't grow impatient and try to create it on his own. Yet, he still had his own little game: he controlled the fire, yes. He stopped it from burning through the paper, but after a couple of hours, he brought it to Zuko. He'd changed the shape of the burn into an arrow.

Their training was interrupted by Toph, who thought it was time Aang learned some more forms in earthbending. Zuko, remembering what his Uncle had told him about learning from others, followed and observed both the Avatar's earthbending and waterbending lessons. He was confused, though, as to the aura of the group. This was nothing like he'd imagined it- a group of children playing around that he thought he'd have to focus, or a group of diehards with whom he'd have to compete for time to train the Avatar. Instead, they worked together, often two of them coordinating their training to the greater benefit, yet having fun at the same time with a lot of foolishness thrown in. He was confused. The one so many relied on to save the world… actually acted like the twelve year old kid he was. And the others not only tolerated it, but at times, encouraged it and joined in.

Late that night, when the door opened, he thought it was Katara coming to issue another warning. Instead, Toph- feet healed- came in and planted herself on the floor next to him.

"Come to repay me for burning you?" he asked, trying to mask his confusion about the visit.

"Not yet. I haven't come up with a good enough scheme."

"Oh. So, why are you here?" She looked up at him, as if her eyes could actually see the confusion on his face.

"It just occurred to me that we've never actually officially met. I'm Toph Bei Fong."

"Bei Fong? I know of them. It's said to be one of the wealthiest of the Earthbending families. But I don't think I ever knew that they had a daughter."

"Well, they didn't really want the world to know about their vulnerable, blind daughter." A pause. "Ask away, Zuko. I know you're dying to know."

"How long have you been blind? And how can you bend if you can't see?"

"But I can. I've been blind since birth, but I can sense the earth around me through my feet. I use my earthbending to see." As she spoke, she followed with a demonstration by bending a rock out of the ground to draw a pattern of her family's symbol, the flying boar, in the dirt floor.

"Oh. So you must be the most powerful bender of all of us." Surprised, she looked up at him. Unnerved, he continued, trying to explain. "We refine our bending through practice. But you're constantly using yours. Your bending is more a part of you than the rest of us." Somewhat flattered, she looked away.

"Sucking up isn't going to get you out of the beating that's coming, fire boy."

"Sure." Smiling faintly, he fell silent again, shifting a bit in his seat.

"You're not very comfortable around us, are you?" He thought again of Katara's threat, and her obvious hostility that day.

"Not really."

"I'm not talking about Katara and her many, many, issues." He wondered about what to say, and her intuition, but he decided that it couldn't hurt to open up to the one person who'd been willing to give him a chance from the beginning.

"It's just that I'm not used to all of this. Like Haru and The Duke volunteering to give Appa a bath, when he's the Avatar's bison. And Sokka constantly getting in the middle of things, but no one really minds. And why do you have a lemur with you? He serves no purpose! Why do all of you pay so much attention to things that have nothing to do with training the Avatar?" She was silent for a while.

"You don't get it, do you? Zuko, we did come together for one purpose- to train Aang. But that's not why Aang was so willing to let you teach him once he got over his fear of firebending. And Katara's not protective of him just because he's the Avatar. Sokka and I don't stick around just to train him, and figure out a way to defeat Ozai. We're not just a group of people who happen to be travelling together. We're… a family." She said the last as if she too was surprised to realize it.

But after Zuko said nothing, she left, thinking about the family that had refused to see her as she truly was. She would have no doubt been surprised to know that her thoughts mirrored those swirling through Zuko's mind.


	2. The Game: Aang

CHAPTER 2: The Game: Aang

Deep within the Western Air temple, in one of the training areas, a lone figure stood, looking at the painted walls around him. The walls of the room rose high above the diminutive figure, covered with the art of ages past, images of airbenders and air bison at work, relaxing, training. He stood like that for a while, but then stilled. His focus turned inward. Suddenly, he moved- in quick succession, waves of all four elements- water to his right, earth to his left, fire behind him, air in front- streamed out. The four would have continued in their course, but he altered their course, causing them to spiral in a circular pattern around the room, forming rings of each element, each spinning round and round the small figure in their core, until he called them back to him- and clouds of steam and dirt rose. When the elements stilled, the Avatar was gone.

"So Aang, how'd training go?" Katara asked as she tended to that day's dinner.

"Okay, I guess. I still need to learn more forms, though." Sokka spun to face him, ignoring the Pai Sho game Haru had found within the Temple and had set up.

"More forms? Aang, we've been here for close to two weeks now. Don't you think it's time we moved on?"

"Why? The Fire nation doesn't seem to be following us. We have a safe place to train. Why would we leave?" Just then, The Duke and Haru started bickering over something in the distance. As they approached the others saw what it was: the last of their supplies.

"I'm not sure, but I just think there's some reason we should look for a market or something." Katara and Toph, who were relaxing against Appa, sighed. Zuko approached as Katara was about to comment, but she fell silent.

"What's that about a market?" he asked Sokka. Toph answered for him by pointing at The Duke and Haru, whose bickering had turned into an all-out fight. Zuko grinned. "I guess it's time for us to get some more stuff. You coming, Sokka?"

"And what makes you think _you'll_ be going?" Katara asked- rather rudely. Aang looked at her worriedly.

"If Zuko wants to go get supplies, why should we stop him?"

"Sorry, but I gotta go with Sweetness on this one." They watched Toph, confused. She rolled her eyes at the silence. "Helloo. Runaway Prince? Big scar on his face? Crowded market, probably swarming with Fire nation soldiers? Anyone else think that's not a good idea?"

In the end, it was decided that Haru, Katara, Sokka and The Duke would go, riding on Appa to find the closest town. After they left, the entire air of the camp changed- but none were willing to admit it was because Katara- and her enmity- had left.

"Anyone up for a game?" Teo, Zuko and Toph turned to look at Aang.

"A game? Aang, shouldn't you be training?" Zuko asked. Aang looked at him for a long time, until he became uncomfortable. "What?"

"I think that's the first time you've called me that." Discomfited, he looked away, frowning.

"So what?" Aang smiled.

"Nothing." Zuko's frowned deepened.

Teo spoke up. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm not sure. There's four of us, and Momo…" They looked at the little creature, who looked back, pausing as he stuffed the last of their food into his mouth, then scampered off. Teo's stomach rolled.

"I'm too hungry to play games, Aang."

"But that's the best part: in this game, we don't really have to do much Just tell a story about ourselves." Toph smiled a bit, understanding what Aang was trying to do. Wasn't it just like him to try to make Zuko more comfortable around them by opening up? "I'll go first."

And he told them the story behind his disappearance. He left nothing out: the incomplete training, his fear of being the Avatar, Monk Gyatsu, the plan to send him away, running away with Appa… the storm… being trapped in ice for a hundred years before being found- and freed- by Katara and Sokka. When he was finished, there was silence.

"I had wondered why the Avatar had disappeared," Zuko said. "He refused to look at the others as he continued. "I was so determined, so sure I would find you myself. That I would capture you and regain my honour. But sometimes, I believed the last Avatar had died with the other airbenders."

"So did I." He glanced at Toph. "Besides that, I didn't pay much attention to what was going on in the world. I was so caught up with proving to myself I wasn't the weakling my parents thought I was." Zuko looked at her, and was about to speak when Teo spoke.

"But Aang, you said that you're a master airbender. But you also said that you hadn't completed your training. How's that possible?" Aang looked at his tattoos.

"My tattoos are patterned after the original airbenders- the sky bison. They're given to an airbender when they become a master- when they have mastered thirty- six of the fifty levels of airbending. I learned thirty- five, but I'd also invented this!" He followed with a spin as he gathered to him the air to form his air scooter.

"So, you still had one more level to learn?" Aang's glee disappeared as the scooter dissipated.

"Technically, no." But he didn't look too sure about that.

"So, there are fifty-one levels of airbending now." Aang smiled.

"I guess so."

"Do you have to learn all fifty –one, since you're the Avatar?" Zuko asked, intrigued. Aang just looked surprised.

"I don't know- maybe. Maybe that's another reason the monks wanted me to leave the Southern Air temple…" He looked confused, so Teo changed the subject.

"Wow, Aang. You must have blamed yourself for what happened."

"I did- for a long time. But then I met Guru Patik, and he helped me move past that guilt." Uncomfortable with the others' silence, he spoke up again. "So…. Who's next?"

To Be Continued…


End file.
